The prevalence of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) in the United States in 2021 to 2022 was 1.3 percent, according to a December data brief published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics.
Anjel Vahratian, Ph.D., M.P.H., from the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Maryland, and colleagues used data from the 2021 to 2022 National Health Interview Survey to describe the percentage of adults who had ME/CFS by selected demographic and geographic characteristics.
The researchers found that 1.3 percent of adults had ME/CFS in 2021 to 2022. There was an increase seen in the percentage of adults with ME/CFS with age through ages 60 to 69 years, followed by a decrease among those aged 70 years and older. The likelihood of having ME/CFS was higher for White non-Hispanic adults than Asian non-Hispanic and Hispanic adults (1.5 percent versus 0.7 and 0.8 percent, respectively).
The likelihood of having ME/CFS was higher for adults with a family income less than 100 percent of the federal poverty level, followed by those at 100 to 199 percent and those at or above 200 percent (2.0, 1.7, and 1.1 percent, respectively). With increasing rurality of place of residence, the percentage of adults who had ME/CFS increased.
“As the prevalence estimates in this report are based on a doctor’s diagnosis, adults who are undiagnosed are not included in this analysis,” the authors write. “True prevalence estimates may be higher, as previous studies suggest that many people with ME/CFS are undiagnosed.”
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